1. Field
Provided is a polypeptide which specifically binds to and inhibits Annexin A1, methods utilizing the same for preventing, treating, or diagnosis disease, and related compositions and methods.
2. Description of the Related Art
Antibodies initiate their biological activities by binding to antigens. Generally, an antibody is specific to an antigen, with high affinity Antibodies are produced by B-lymphocytes. Blood contains a lot of different antibodies each of which is derived from a B-cell clone and has a characteristic structure and specificity with regard to its antigen.
Annexin has been used as a common name for a group of proteins including lipocortin, calpactin, endonexin, etc. since about 20 years ago. Annexin proteins bind phospholipids in a calcium-dependent manner. Each annexin is characterized by four (or sometimes eight) copies of about 70 amino acid repeat sequence containing a highly conserved ‘GXGTDE’ motif, also called endonexin-fold. All of the annexin proteins identified thus far are found to contain the conserved domains, and one of the criteria that a protein has to meet to be classified as an annexin is the existence of the domain.
Annexin proteins are found in a broad spectrum of organisms from mold fungi to mammals. Humans are reported to have annexin I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII and XIII. Annexin proteins are speculated to play an important role in the formation of osseous tissues and to be involved in various biological activities including membrane trafficking, transmembrane channel activity, inhibition of phospholipase A2, coagulation inhibition, transduction of mitogen signals, and mediation of cell-matrix interaction, etc. Of the annexin proteins, Annexin A1, which belongs to the annexin A group, is known to be detected in cancer tissues as well.
Given the extensive research into the development of anticancer agents using proteins overexpressed in cancer cells, the significance of Annexin A1 as an anticancer target is growing, with a need for the development of an effective and potent Annexin A1-targeting drug.